The 12 Steps of Recovery

Step 1

WE ADMITTED WE WERE POWERLESS OVER GAMBLING -
- THAT OUR LIVES HAD BECOME UNMANAGEABLE.

In the 1st step of the Recovery Program, members admit their powerlessness over
gambling and learn to accept the truth about compulsive gambling - - that it is an
incurable progressive illness which only can be arrested through total abstinence from
gambling. Members acknowledge that they were powerless to control their lives when
gambling dominated their actions. Through this admission, members gain the inner
strength to deal with their problems and face responsibilities.

In Step 1, compulsive gamblers are asked to accept the fact that their lives had become
unmanageable. Members acknowledge that the gambling illness disrupted their financial
stability and many other aspects of their lives, including family, work and other personal
relationships. The admission and acceptance that come with Step 1 are pre-requisites to
controlling the destructive behavior caused by compulsive gambling.

The 1st step of the Recovery Program is just as important to someone who has abstained
for a considerable period of time as it is to a newcomer. By regularly reviewing Step 1,
members are reminded of the past so that they will not repeat it.